Snubber



Patented Jan. 8, 1946 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE SNUBBER Robert B. Cottrell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 4, 1942, Serial No.,45 7,287

9 Claims.` (C1. 267-9) This invention relates to friction absorbing de` vices and more particularly to a device known as a snubber which, when associated with a bolster supporting spring group of a railway car truck, serves to dampen oscillations of the springs con stituting said group, thus preventing deleterious, harmonious oscillations of said springs.

An object of my invention is to design a snubber as above described which may take the place of a single coil spring in a bolster supporting spring group.

A different object of my invention is to design a snubber comprising relatively few parts and capable of long life in service, said snubber comprehending a structure comprising a hexagonal friction housing and a pair of friction shoes slipported within a single coil spring, said shoes being lreceived within said housing and urged into engagement with internal V-shaped friction surfaces thereon by means of a plurality of vertically aligned horizontally disposed compression springs.

A further object of my invention is to design a l snubber comprising means for simply, removably and movably interlocking the bottom follower with its associated friction shoes, said means comprising a T-section projection on said bottom follower, opposite sides of the horizontal web of said T section being recessed in the respective friction shoes. Y,

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a sideview of my novel snubber, the right half thereof being an elevational view and the left half thereof being a sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line I-l of Figure 2; and Figure 2 is a'bottom view of the structure shownv in Figure l, the left half thereof being a plan view and the right half thereof being ra sectional View taken in the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Describing my inventionin detail, the top follower, generally designated 2, comprises the heX- agonal friction housing 4 having internal V- shaped friction surfaces 6, 5 at opposite sides thereof, each of the surfaces 6, 6 being relieved as at 8 (Figure 1) in order to prevent the wearing of a shoulder on the associated friction shoeas will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art. It will be apparent froma consideration of Figure 2 that .the portion of the housing defining'each friction surface 6 is of relatively thick section and said housing is provided with internal projections l0, I0 in order to prevent assembly of the frictionshoes in engagement with the relatively thin sections of the friction housing indicated at l2, l2 (Figure 2) .Y

, The top follower 2 also comprises the annular base I4 affording a seat as at I6 for the upper end of the snubber` against an associated supported member, said base being tapered at I8 in order to accommodate a rocking movement of the snubber on the seat I6; and said base I4 also provides a seat as at 20 for the coiled compression or load spring 22 sleeved over the friction housing 4 and the associated friction shoes and engaged with the bottom follower in a manner hereinafter more fully described. The base I4 of the top follower 2 also comprises a round opening 24 centrally thereof, said opening being formed and arranged for the reception of positioning means on the associated supported member as will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

Friction shoes generally designated26, 26 are positioned in complementary engagement as vat 28 (Figure 2) With vthe associated V-shaped fric,- tion surfaces 6, 6 on the housing 4, .the apex of each V-shaped surface 6 being afforded a clear.- ance at 30 from the associated friction shoe in order to accommodate wearing in therebetween as will be clearly apparent.

Each friction shoe 26 comprises onr the`r inner surface thereof a plurality of bosses 32, 372 each of said bosses projecting into a pair of inner and outer coil springs 34 and36 respectively, said coil springs being under compression between the shoes at opposite sides of the snubber and being operative to urge said shoes into frictional engagement as at 28 with the associated friction surfaces 6,'6 on the friction housing. The Vlower end of each friction shoe 2S is formed with an arcuate recess l38 formed and arranged for interlocking engagementwith the bottom follower in a manner hereinafter more fullyl described.

The bottom follower,'generally designated 4B is of generally cylindrical form and affords a seat as at 42 for the lower end of the snubbery Vsaid follower being taperedas at 44 on the bottom surface thereof in order to afford a rocking movement on the seat 42; and said bottom follower also comprises va substantially cylindrical `recess 46 in the bottom thereof adapted for the reception of positioning `means on an associated supporting member in the usual manner. It may be noted that the load v,spring 22 is seated at 48 on the bottom follower, saidy follower comprising a projection 50 received ,within said spring and "serving to position saidfollower with rrespect thereto.

O n the upper surface of thebottom follower 46 is formed a projection 52" of T section, said projection comprising the vertical web 54 and the horizontal web 56, said horizontal web being of'substantially round contour in plan View as seen in Figure 2 and being thus formed and arranged for convenient reception within the arcuate recesses 38, 38 on the friction shoes 26, 26 whereby said shoes and said bottom follower are interlocked. It may be noted that the pron jec'tionV i'i'saformedz with an; annular.v groove or recess lilinorder to afford clearance for theiasso ciated friction shoes during arocking movement of the snubber as above described.

It will be apparent from va consideration of.'V

V-shaped surfaces remoteV from the longitudinal axis of therdevice during rocking movement of said V-shaped surfaces on said bearing surface.

3. `In a friction absorbing device, a housing, shoesV therein comprising friction faces, resilient means operatively associated with said shoes'for urging said faces into engagement with said housing;` afollower looseljgc interloclred with corresponding endsofsaid shoesfa.spring.;sle.eved over said housingv andvseated against abutment means thereon and Yagainst said follower, a projection on Figure 1 that the engagement between the bot-" tom follower and the friction shoesiissufciently looseto permit the shoes to' be moved, outwardly4 with respect to the friction housing as wear takes place therebetween.4 It will be. further,v under-Y stood'that althoughI have herein described the follower 2 as a top'follower and the follower 411'.y Y as a bottom follower, the snubbermay, if desired,

beY inverted with the follower 40 being a top fols lower-and the' follower 2y being va bottom follower'.`

It is t'o be understoodv that I'do not wish to be limited by the exact" embodiment of" the device shownwhich is' merely' by' way of' illustration' and' not limitation` Vas various' and other' fforms of' the devicevwilllof'course, be apparent, to those skilled vin 'the artv without'departing' from the spirit of the" invention or thei scope yof the claims;

1'. Inl a` friction absorbing device, a top follower, comprising a friction housing" having/oppositelyl, disposed interval v-shaped frictiony surfaces, a base' on said'housing, affording a rocking'seaton i 'the top surface thereof' fon an associated. sup,- fported member and affording aseatl on the-bot?v tom thereof' for a coil springsleeved over saidv housing, friction shoes having friction faces 'in complementary engagement'with said surfaces, resilient meansurging said shoesinto.Y said engagement, anda bottom follower rockingly zen-` Y gaged with Vsaid!shoesandA comprising a T section projection, opposite sides of the horizontal. webV of said T section. beingflrecessed, in respective shoes, saidy bottom follower affording. a seat for thek opposite end. of saidl springend affording a rocking` seat on the bottom vsurface thereof, for` lisa-iol device uponV an. associated supporting mem- C ber, said bottom. follower having an annular recess' anording clearance forIsaid shoes during rocking. movement thereof with respectv to said bottomfollower, said recess being disposed, on the upper surface of. said bottomifollower beneathv Y theA friction faces ofjsaidfshoes;A

2. In a# friction' absorbing devicea housing; shoesv therein comprising friction faces, resi-lient means compressed between saideshoes for urging said faces` into frictionalengagementwith said housing, a follower comprising arpro'j'ecti'on ex.-

tending toward said housing and having a T-sectionimember on the top thereof, opposite sides said follower received within Vsaid spring for positioning the same, said projection extending to- Yward said housing and having a T-section member on the top-thereof, opposite sides of the horizontaivwebfof: said T section being recessed with- I in respective shoes, said corresponding ends havdevice, resilient means engaged at. opposite ends Y ing Vl-shapedabutment faces formed and arrangedl'for rockable engagement with an adjacent abutment surface onsaid projection duringcompression Vof said" device; said abutment surface being recessed in alignment with said friction faces to afford clearance forsaidv corresponding endsv oflsaid shoes duringrockingmovement beu tween said abutment'l faces andAV saldi abutment surface. u A

v4. In a friction labsorbing device,V a housing comprising internalY friction; surfaces, friction .y

shoes having facesv inengagement' therewith, re;- silient means urging said shoes into-said engagement, a bottom follower engaged with said; shoes` and comprising a. T section projection, `opposite sides ofthe horizontal web of said T section beingv recessed inV respective shoes, each shoe having on Y the bottom thereof a VV-shaped surface for rock'- ing abutmentv with an adjacent surfacel ofthe bottom follower on the compression strokeV ofthe thereof withsaid housing and'r said followenjand a recessr inA the upper side of said: follower beneath said faces' affording clearance for said' shoes during ,rocking movement .thereof with respectfto Ysaid follower, the faces on said shoes beingA substantially vertical and extending,A from end to end thereof. V i Y, A

5. In a friction absorbing device,'a topl ,follower comprising a friction housingjhaving internal friction surfaces, a base onv said housing affordf ing a seat on the bottom thereoffor a coiljspring of menonzental web of said 1'` section being reces'sed vvfitliirr and loosely interlocked with corresponding ends of said shoes, aspri'ng sleeved y .over said housing and said projection and seated l,

against abutment means on said housing and Y said, follower respectively, said. shoes having 'on said ends respectively V`shaped surfaces formed and arranged for rockable abutment with ahearr ing surface on said projection on the'compression stroke of the device, andr a recess'in said bearing surface aligned'longitudinally of the devicevwith said faces, said recess being constructed and arranged to aord clearance for the edges of said lsleeved over said housing, frictiony shoes within opposite Yslides of the Ahorizontal web of said T- section being recessed within respective shoes, saidbottom fclloweraffording a seat for the 2p-.- positel end of said spring,and` saidYbottomf-follower having a recess on the, upper surface therev of beneath thefrictioniaoes of said slices,` said recess, being constructed and arranged toA aiiord clearance for .said shoes during rocking move-`l` ymerit thereof with respect to said bottom, follower.

e In a frieden absorbing device, a top fonewer'k comprising a friction.. housing having internal friction surfaces, a base lon said housing affording a seat on the bottom thereof for a spring sleeved over said housing, friction shoes within said housing, each shoe being substantially triangular in cross section with the hypotenuse thereof affording positioning means for associated resilient means and with the other two sides thereof providing friction faces in complementary engagement with said surfaces,` resilient means between said shoes and engaging said positioning means, said resilient means urging said shoes into said engagement, and a bottom follower rockingly engaged with said shoes and comprising a projection` received within said spring and adapted for positioning the same relative to said bottom follower, said spring being seated against abutment means on said bottom follower, a T-section member on said bottom follower extending upwardly from said projection, opposite sides of the horizontal web of said T-section being recessed within respective shoes, and a recess in the upper surface of said projection beneath the friction faces of said shoes, said recess being constructed and arranged to afford clearance for said shoes during rocking movement thereof with respect to said bottom follower.

7. In a friction absorbing device, a housing comprising internal friction surfaces, friction shoes within said housing, each shoe being substantially triangular in cross Section with the hypotenuse thereof affording positioning means for associated resilient means and with the other two sides thereof providing faces in engagement with said surfaces, resilient means between said shoes and engaging said positioning means, said resilient means urging said shoes into said engagement, a bottom follower engaged with said shoes and comprising a T-section projection, opposite sides of the horizontal web of said T-section being recessed in respective shoes, each shoe having on the bottom thereof a V-shaped surface for rocking abutment with an adjacent surface of the bottom follower on the compression stroke of the device, resilient means engaged at opposite ends thereof with said housing and said follwer, and a recess in the upper side of said follower beneath said faces affording clearance for said shoes during rocking movement thereof with respect to said follower.

S. In a friction absorbing device, a housing comprising internal friction surfaces, friction shoes having faces in engagement therewith, resilient means urging said shoes into said engagement, a bottom follower engaged with said shoes and comprising an upwardly extending projection with a T-section member on the top thereof, opposite sides of the horizontal web of said T- section being recessed within respective shoes, a spring sleeved over said housing and said projection and seated against abutment means on said housing and said bottom follower respectively, each shoe having on the bottom thereof a V-shaped surface for rocking abutment with the upper surface of said projection on the compression stroke of the device, and a recess in said upper surface beneath said faces affording clearance for said shoes during rocking movement thereof with respect to said upper surface.

9. In a friction absorbing device, a housing, shoes therein each comprising a triangular blocklike member with the hypotenuse thereof having raised studs affording spring-positioning means and with the other two sides thereof providing friction faces, a plurality of coil springs having opposite ends thereof positioned by respective studs on said shoes and operatively urging said faces against said housing, a follower loosely interlocked with said shoes adjacent corresponding ends thereof, a spring sleeved over said housing and bearing against abutment means on said follower and housing respectively, said corresponding ends having abutment faces formed and ar ranged for rockable engagement with an abutment surface on said follower during relative lateral displacement between said follower and housing on the closure stroke of the device, said abutment surface being recessed in alignment with said friction faces to afford clearance for said corresponding ends during rocking movement between said abutment faces and said surface.

ROBERT B. COTTRELL. 

